Score: VCU 6, Saint Joseph's 3
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records: VCU 6-19 (1-6 A-10), Saint Joseph's 9-15 (3-4 A-10)
 
THE SHORT STORY: VCU baseball followed Tuesday's offensive explosion with its second consecutive win, stacking small ball and clutch two-out at-bats on a masterclass performance on the mound from Owen Tappy.
 
LEADING OFF:

• Tappy notched 10 strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work in his first Division I start, both for career high marks, giving up six hits, two runs and a pair of walks
• His double-digit strikeouts are the most by a VCU pitcher since 2024 Chicago Cubs draft pick Christian Gordon tossed a 13-strikeout gem in the NCAA Greenville Regional last year
• Zachary Peters earned the save for the Rams, taking over in a 3-2 ballgame and closing out the contest with 2.1 innings of work without allowing an earned run and fanning five
• The 15 combined strikeouts were the most by VCU in a game since this date last year when the Rams had 15 against UMass
• Casey Kleinman reached base three times, drawing three walks, and made two impressive outs at shortstop to rob hits from the Hawks
• Jacob Lee extended his on-base streak to a team-high 15 games
• Nick Flores dropped three hits in the game, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs
• Freshman Adrian Jimenez also had a multi-hit day, extending his hitting streak to six games to match the most by any Ram this season
• VCU won its first Atlantic 10 matchup of the year with the victory and posted back-to-back wins for the first time as well
• The Rams outhit the Hawks 9-8 in the contest

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Tappy set his pace early, notching a pair of strikeouts and sitting three Hawks down in order in the perfect opening frame of his first start as a Ram
• Saint Joseph's got a lone run across on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but VCU had a fast answer as Nate Kirkpatrick's beautifully executed suicide squeeze tied the game at one apiece
• With just their third hit in the game in the fourth inning, SJU temporarily took back their lead on a solo home run by Owen Petrich
• A couple of quiet innings ensued as Tappy raised his strikeout count into the double digits, recording seven consecutive outs by strikeout
• VCU took its decisive lead in the sixth as three back-to-back singles by Jimenez, Henson and Flores scored one to tie the game and Sean Swenson dropped the go-ahead single into center field for a 3-2 Rams lead
• The entire Rams lineup visited the plate in the seventh inning, which Seth Werchan led off by wearing a pitch before five more free passes were issued
• Flores extended the lead with an RBI single on his third hit of the day and a pair of wild pitches scored Will Henson and Flores for the 6-2 ballgame
• Petrich made his way around the bases again, reaching on an error after a dropped third strike, but that was the third and final run for the Hawks as VCU took the opener 6-3

 
UP NEXT:
The Rams will look to secure their first Atlantic 10 series of the season as the weekend against Saint Jospeh's continues with games at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday at The Diamond. Then, VCU will return to the road to take on William & Mary on Tuesday, April 1 in Williamsburg, Va.